A forensic doctor revealed that Lindsey Graham, a prominent U.S. senator, died from an aortic dissection resulting from heart disease.
On Monday, 13 July 2026, a forensic doctor in Washington, D.C. disclosed that Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator and key ally of President Donald Trump, died from an “aortic dissection” caused by cardiovascular disease.
An aortic dissection is a tear in the main artery that carries blood to the body.
Graham died suddenly at age 71 on Saturday (11 July) after a brief illness. His spokesperson said on Monday that the death certificate is pending until "all toxicology tests and microscopic examinations" are completed.
The South Carolina politician was elected to the Senate in 2002 and was considered one of Washington’s most influential figures in foreign policy, often advocating for U.S. military intervention abroad.
Graham had just returned from a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on Friday—one day before his death—where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss various matters.
Zelenskyy expressed he was "deeply saddened" by Graham’s passing, posting on platform X that “Lindsey was a defender of freedom and true values, helping make our world safer.”
Graham was known for his strong support of interventionist foreign policies and vehement backing of the war in Iran. In June, he told CBS that the U.S. would "destroy" Iran if it did not accept U.S. control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Previously, Graham was one of Donald Trump’s harshest critics, saying before the 2016 presidential election, “If we nominate Trump, we will be utterly destroyed... and we deserve it.”
However, he voted against Trump's impeachment in 2021 and later became a key supporter of Trump in the 2024 election.
“Donald Trump has a dark side... but he was also one of the very good presidents, and I stand by him because of what he accomplished,” Graham told the BBC in 2023, citing Trump’s border control efforts and the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.
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Source:bbc